State Labor Department Releases Preliminary December 2015 Area Unemployment Rates

Albany, NY (January 26, 2016) -

The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for December 2015. Rates are calculated as prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The State’s unemployment rate relies in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.

From December 2014 to December 2015, the State’s private sector job count increased by 164,100. In December 2015, the number of private sector jobs in the State was 7,880,000, a new all-time high. The State’s private sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In addition, between November and December 2015, the State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.8%, remaining at its lowest level since November 2007.

Local Area Unemployment Rates* (%) December 2014 and December 2015(not seasonally adjusted)

*Data are preliminary and subject to change

December

2015*

December

2014

Metro Areas

4.6

5.5

Albany-Schenectady-Troy

4.0

4.4

Binghamton

5.4

6.0

Buffalo-Niagara Falls

4.9

5.7

Dutchess-Putnam

4.0

4.5

Elmira

5.4

5.5

Glens Falls

5.4

6.2

Ithaca

3.4

3.7

Kingston

4.3

5.0

Nassau-Suffolk

3.9

4.4

New York City

5.0

6.2

Orange-Rockland-Westchester

4.0

4.5

Rochester

4.6

5.3

Syracuse

4.8

5.5

Utica-Rome

5.0

5.9

Watertown-Fort Drum

6.8

7.5

Non-metro Counties

5.5

6.3

The data in the preceding table are not seasonally adjusted, which means they reflect seasonal influences (e.g., holiday and summer hires). Therefore, the most valid comparisons with this type of data are year-to-year comparisons of the same month, for example, December 2014 versus December 2015.

Unemployment rate highlights in December 2015:

The counties in New York State with the lowest unemployment rates include:

Labor force data for the current month are preliminary and subject to revision as more information becomes available the following month. Revised estimates for prior months are available at: http://labor.ny.gov/stats/LSLAUS.shtm

Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, for New York and every other state are based on statistical regression models specified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are the most up-to-date estimates of persons employed and unemployed by place of residence. Estimates are available for New York State, labor market regions, metropolitan areas, counties, and municipalities with population of at least 25,000.